About Me

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Carroll O'Connor - Forever 'Archie Bunker'

Carroll O'Connor was an established movie and tv actor, from the early 1960s, when he landed the starring role of 'Archie Bunker' in the 1971 tv sitcom "All in the Family". The character 'Archie' was a strongly conservative and bigoted man, both politically and personally. The show was immensely popular for many years.

Much later, in the late 1980s, Mr. O'Connor had the starring role in another tv show, the drama "In the Heat of the Night", as the 'Chief of Police Bill Gillespie'. His character in the latter show was perhaps much stronger than 'Archie', as the character was more liberal, but he will forever be remembered as 'Archie Bunker'.

In about 1982, I sent Mr. O'Connor this photo for autographing, and he returned it within a couple of weeks. His hobby was photography, and one of his photos, "Serata (Venice 1969)", was featured on a notecard sold by the humane society Actors and Others for Animals. I also enclosed the notecard and he signed it, too.